New research suggests that cutting daily sitting time to less than three hours might extend your life by two years.

   “Humans were designed to move. But modern lifestyles and office jobs rarely encourage us to walk around,” says Peter Katzmarzyk, an expert at the University of Louisiana.

   “Sitting is common in our lives today. We sit while we’re driving, eating and watching TV. And many of us sit for many hours at work.” Katzmarzyk said.

   “We can’t throw away physical activity. It’s extremely important. We have 60 years of researchers showing us that.” Katzmarzyk said.

   Katzmarzyk and other researchers are trying to discover how sitting all day affext our lifespans（寿命）.

   “This is a relatively new area of study…Studies that have assessed the relationship between sitting and death or television viewing and death have been very rare in the last four or five years,” said Katzmarzyk.

   Katzmarzyk and his colleagues analyzed data from these studies, which involved almost 167,000 adults. Then they turned to a government-run survey of Americans to find out exactly how much time people spend sitting and watching.

   Not only did the team find that U.S. citizens could live longer by sitting less, they found that cutting TV time to less than two hours a day could add an extra 1.4 years to their lives.

People who’ve spent half their waking lives sitting down might well ask, “Is it ever too late to make a change?”

“We would say ‘No. It’s never too late.’ Physical activity is good for you at every age.” Katzmarzyk said.

Katzmarzyk says studying this problem has inspired his team to make a few changes in their own lives. They recommend a few simple changes: frequently getting up from your desk, taking walks at lunch time, and instead of e-mailing colleagues, walking over to their offices and talking face-to-face——all activities that can be enjoyable as well as life-extending.

1.Peter Katzmarzyk seems to believe that _____.

A. we should not sit for a long time   

B. most people like to sit most of the time

C. office jobs encourage us to walk a lot  

D. modern lifestyles are good for our health

2.The underlined word “that” in paragraph 4 probably refers to _____.

A. taking physical exercise is important  

B. many researches should be carried out

C. we should exercise during working hours

D. people should focus on their health at work

3.Why did Katzmarzyk and his colleagues turn to a government-run survey?

A. To collect information for the government

B. To know how long people sit and watch TV

C. To find what citizens do in their spare time’

D. To discover how sitting for long affects their lives

4.The best title of the text would be _____.

A. What Is the Healthiest Lifestyle？

B. Sitting for a Long Time Is Bad for Us

C. Study Suggests Sitting Less Can Extend Life

D. It Is Never Too Late to Change Our Way of Life

 

Christmas bird – watching is popular in the U.S.A. When the holiday season comes, some Americans are likely to watch and count birds in the sky with great interest every day. This activity began in the early part of the last century. It has a one-hundred-year history. At that time, there was a so-called “holiday hunting” custom. In order to celebrate the holiday, the hunters went out to kill birds and beasts. By 1900, there were 27 bird lovers who decided to count birds instead of killing birds. Since then, Christmas bird-watching was held every year. It has been continued to the present.

There were 42000 people who took part in the bird-watching last Christmas, from December 16 the year before to January 3 next year. They were in the United States and Canada, central America, south America and the Caribbean, watching and counting birds in the sky. The whole viewing area was divided into 1600 points. Each birdwatcher was responsible for 25 meters, and was required to write down the types and quantities of birds within 24 hours.

A birdwatcher described what he had watched vividly in his diary—“ When I looked up, I saw a beautiful ‘landscape’ in the sky: Red-crowned cranes(丹顶鹤) were driving up in cunning wedges that split the air. They were so neatly arranged, coordinating their movements. I was excited and breathtaking. Interestingly, the “human” shape(人字行) always maintains 110° ” .

“Why do red-crowned cranes choose to use ‘human’ shape when flying in formation?” He continued, “In my opinion, there are four reasons: first, the ‘human’ shape can make red-crowned cranes use increasing air which is produced by each other’s wings when they are swinging in the sky. It can increase the glide time and save physical ability. Second, the ‘human’ shape will enhance communication among the birds. The orders and the relevant information issued by the lead bird can be conveyed to each member in this migratory group unimpeded, accurately, rapidly and conveniently. Third, such a formation will help to find the birds left behind because of feeling run down as fast as possible, so that the young, the weak, the sick birds can get everyone’s help and encouragement. Finally, the ‘human’ shape shows not only beauty but also unity. It can give enemies a deterrent.They will be terrified and did not dare to attack the birds.The migration security of the birds will be ensured.”  

Environmental experts admired and evaluated Christmas bird-watching highly. They pointed out that it made perfect sense. On the one hand it could enhance the human awareness of environmental protection. On the other hand it could provide first-hand information on birds.

49．When did Christmas bird – watching begin?

         A．Sometime during Christmas holiday.         B．At the beginning of 20th century.

         C．In the early 19 th century.          D．Since there was Christmas Day

50．What do bird – watchers do when they are bird – watching?

         A．They kill birds and beasts.          B．They watch birds and beasts.

         C．They watch and count birds.     D．They look at the sky and write diaries.

51．The following are all reasons for red – crowned cranes flying in “human” shape except      .

         A．they can help each other and ensure their safety

         B．they can communicate with each other in order to reduce tiredness.

         C．they can make use of the air produced by each other’s wings.

         D．they can look stronger in case they come across enemies

52．This passage consists of five paragraphs. Please arrange the five main ideas of the paragraphs in order of their appearance in the passage.

    a. How the bird – watchers divided their watching task and what was done.

         b. How Christmas bird – watching came into being.

         c. Christmas bird – watching is of great importance environmentally and scientifically.

         d. A Christmas bird – watcher watched and was amazed by red – crowned cranes.

         e. Red – crowned cranes fly in “human” formation for quite good reasons.

         A．a – b – c – d – e         B．b – c – e – d – a         C．b- a – d – e – c D．b – d – e – a – c

 

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项
【小题1】．She described all the things she had to do －one was to make her bed－from the moment she woke up until she flew out of the door for work．I suggested she experiment by not making her bed for two weeks．She was shocked, probably thinking I’d been raised by wolves in a forest．【小题2】．
Two weeks later she went into my office beaming．She had left her bed unmade for the first time in 42 years－and nothing bad had happened．“And you know what?” she said．“I don’t dry my dishes anymore, either．”
【小题3】．One was discovering that she had choices in her life that she had never seen before．The other was giving herself permission to be less that perfect．This story shows an important principle （原理） about managing time: No one can do it all．Each of us has to make choices and accept trade – offs．The problem is, many people choose in ways that put themselves and their health last．They take better care of their houses and cars than they do of themselves．【小题4】
So what is the solution? There’s an easy way．Decide what you want in your life, and put that first．On a daily basis, that should include regular meals, enough sleep and time with your family．Exercise, leisure, friendships and hobbies should also be regular aspects of life．【小题5】．The choice is yours: whatever makes you feel good about yourself and your life．Take a nap．Take a walk．Take time to play the piano．Stop bringing your briefcase home from the office．Stop keeping your house as clean as your mother kept hers．Fill more of your time with want – to – dos instead of have – to – dos．

A．This woman had made two major breakthroughs （突破）．

B．Above all, you needn’t do anything for yourself regularly．

C．They put everyone else’s needs ahead of their own．

D．However, she went along with my idea．

E．Most people do not take time to relax themselves．
F．The point is to do something for yourself every day．
G．A patient came to see me about the stress in her life．

food, environment and so on. After that are pieces of related information (A--E). Now decide which piece of information would be most suitable for the thought and idea mentioned in questions1---4 and mark your answer letter (A---E) on your answer sheet. There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.

______ 1. How I was struck by the clear water and fresh air in my childhood! But everything has changed, that is, the clear water and fresh air are nowhere to be found again as they were. Above all, a great deal of waste hardly rots away.

______ 2. More and more people are beginning to have a good knowledge of the importance of a safer and cleaner environment, which in turn forces the business to be cleaned up.

______ 3. I’m very much fond of growing some vegetables of my own in my small garden, for many vegetables on sale in markets are actually becoming more and more dangerous as a result of widespread pesticides.

______ 4. Nowadays it is very convenient for consumers to find and buy green food in supermarkets as they are clearly marked.

A. “Organic produce is always better,” Gold said. “The food is free of pesticides, and you are generally supporting family farms instead of large farms. And more often than not it is locally grown and seasonal, so it is more tasty.” Gold is one of a growing number of shoppers buying into the organic trend, and supermarkets across Britain are counting on more like him as they grow their organic food business.

B. The concern for a safer and cleaner environment is making companies rethink how they do business. No longer will the public accept the old attitude of “Buy it, use it, throw it away, and forget it.” The public pressure is on, and gradually business is cleaning up its act.[

C. Many cities around the world today are heavily polluted. Careless methods of production and lack of consumer demand for environment-friendly products have contributed to the pollution problem. One result is that millions of tons of glass, paper, plastic, and metal containers are produced, and these are difficult to get rid of.

D. Only a few years ago, it was impossible to find green products in supermarkets, but now there are hundreds. Some supermarket products carry labels (标签) to show that the product is green. Some companies have made the manufacturing (制造) of clean and safe products their main selling point and emphasize it in their advertising.

E. Market research shows that Gold and others who buy organic food can generally give clear reasons for their preferences - but their knowledge of organic food is far from complete. For example, small amounts of pesticides can be used on organic products. And about three quarters of organic food in Britain is not local but imported to meet growing demand. “The demand for organic food is increasing by about one third every year, so it is a very fast-growing market,” said Sue Flock, a specialist in this line of business.

 

 

 

第二节 信息匹配（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）

下面是一篇应用文及其应用场合的信息，请阅读下列应用文和相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。

首先，请阅读下面的车票介绍：

Weekday Returns

This ticket can save you up to 35% on the standard fare. You can travel anytime during Mon.-Fri. but not on Sat. or Sun.

Monthly Returns

They are available for most journeys over 65 miles. Go any day and return within a month. Monthly returns save you up to 25% on the standard fare.

Low Price Returns

These are special low-priced tickets for the elderly on certain trains. You may be surprised at our price. Of course, you have to book in advance—at the latest by 16:00 ten days before you travel. It’s first come, first served.

Family Returns

For $20 this railcard allows you to take a second adult and up to 4 children for only $3 each when you buy single or return tickets. You can travel as often as you like within two months.

Special Day Returns

These tickets can save you up to 55% on the standard fare. You have to travel after the rush hour period only on Tuesdays and Saturdays and return the following day. They will not be available on other days.

Weekend Returns

Weekend Returns are available for most journeys over 60 miles. Go on Fri., Sat. or Sun., and return the same weekend on Sat. or Sun., and save up to 35%on the standard fare.

请阅读下列购票者的信息，然后为他们匹配合适的火车票：

56. Lily lives in a suburb which is 70 miles away from London. She works five days a week. She attends a weekend course at London University for half a year, so she has to go to London during the weekend.

57. Mrs. Brown is a 70-year-old Londoner who has a daughter in a small town 80 miles away. She wants to stay with her daughter for two months. Since she has lots of time, she is not in a hurry and the ticket price is her major concern.

58. Mr. Black is an owner of a small grocery store in a town about 83 miles away form London. He has to refill his store on Mondays or Wednesdays every week. He doesn’t like to meet traffic jams on week ends.

59. Mrs. Smith is an office clerk who works in London. Her mother lives in a town about 100 miles away from London. She usually goes to visit her mother once a month.

60. The Whites live in a small town near London. Mrs. White would like to take her 3 kids to visit the park and downtown in London from time to time instead of staying at home all day long.

    购票者                                                                               火车票

56. Lily                                                                                A. Weekday Returns

57. Mrs. Brown                                                                B. Monthly Returns

58. Mr. Black                                                                     C. Low Price Returns

59. Mrs. Smith                                                                  D. Family Returns

60. The Whites                                                                 E. Special Day Returns

F. Weekend Returns